Inevitably, the best episode of 30 Rock is, quite clearly, the finale. After TGS gets cancelled, Liz is living a relatively happy life with Criss and their kids, but she wants for something more, she really just wants to get back to work. Jack has finally achieved what he wanted and becomes Head of GE, and Kenneth is now head of NBC. Luckily for Liz, then, that a clause in Tracy's contract says that 150 episodes of TGS must be produced or he is paid a penalty fee of $30 Million. Unfortunately, Tracy does his best to avoid work and Liz, culminating in finding him in the strip club where they first met in Season 1. It's an emotional moment where Tracy pours his heart out to Liz and admits the reason he is avoiding the work is because he doesn't want the show to end. It's a subtle moment as, in the pilot, it's suggested that Tracy is doing the show simply for the money and to keep his career going. However it shows that over the 7 years, they've become close friends and colleagues. The best moments of this episode come when TGS is over and Liz ends up creating a sitcom for Grizz, part of Tracy's entourage. It seems to be a bit low-brow but Liz is shown enjoying the work because she still gets to work but the hours are shorter and she gets to see her kids more. Criss is happy as a stay at home dad, and Jack has found something he truly wants to do in life, after a wobble and thinking he wasn't good enough for GE. The last 30 seconds brilliantly subvert every sitcom formula ever. The screen goes hazy and we zoom out to see 30 Rockefeller Plaza in a snow globe held by Kenneth. As we see Kenneth, we hear a show being pitched by Liz Lemon's granddaughter about her time working behind the scenes of TGS. She says Lemon was a great lady and Kenneth replies "I know, and I love it" just as a speeder from Star Wars flies past the window. So there you go, Kenneth is immortal. Only in 30 Rock could that happen. That's why it's the best sitcom ever made. Do you agree? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
3rd Year Film and Television Production student at Edge Hill University. Writer of "Stockton's Last Stand" and screenwriter/director of "Hunted" and "Spyfail 2: The Search for Spyfail 1".
I also do stand-up comedy sometimes... I'm told I'm marginally funny.
